How are websites finding my real IP?
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I’ve been trying to understand how much information websites can actually get from my IP address. I normally use a VPN, and the IP shown in my browser changes to the server location, but some sites still seem to know my real country or internet provider. One privacy test even displayed an IPv6 address that looked like it came from my home connection. How are websites tracing this information if my regular IP is hidden, and how can I find out exactly what’s being exposed?
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Location databases aren’t always accurate, so a website showing the wrong city doesn’t automatically mean it has found your real address. The important question is whether it can see an IP, DNS server, or provider that belongs to your normal connection. Write down your public IPv4 and IPv6 addresses with the VPN turned off, then connect again and run a full leak test in the same browser. Compare every result with the original information instead of checking only the large IP number at the top of the page. That will tell you whether data is actually escaping the VPN or the site is simply using an outdated location database.
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A VPN can handle regular browser traffic while other requests still leave through your normal connection. WebRTC, DNS lookups, and IPv6 traffic each use different routes, so one of them may reveal network information even when the VPN appears to be working. You can read about what an IP leak is here https://gologin.com/blog/what-is-an-ip-leak/ . If WebRTC exposes your address, change its privacy settings or use a browser that controls those requests properly. If the leak comes from DNS or IPv6, make sure your VPN supports and routes that traffic instead of relying only on an extension. Run the same test again after every browser or VPN update, since a changed setting can reopen the leak.
